Wretched were part of the stable of old-school riffing doom bands found on the German Hellhound label in the early 90s. Although their sound had elements of psychedelia, they were clearly influenced by bands like The Obsessed and St. Vitus. Wretched's songs tended to be rather unconventionally structured and were once led by the somewhat gruff, Lemmy-like vocals of Dave Sherman, a duty which Jon Blank later assumed. The albums are consistently high quality; if you like one of them you will probably like them all.

The band originally parted ways after their 1995 album, then reunited in 2004. Finally, the band broke up again in 2009 when vocalist Jon Blank died of an overdose.

Various members have played or are playing in other notable D.C.-area bands: Dave Sherman in Spirit Caravan and Earthride, Jeff Parsons in Unorthodox and Indestroy, and Gus Basilika in Indestroy and Life Beyond.

Note that Wretched is a popular bandname and there is at least five other bands using that name, three of whom are also US bands.